1. Tournament Fundamentals

1.1 Tournament Types

Sanctioned, competitive tournaments are divided into two types: Premier and non-Premier. Premier tournaments are run by Wizards of the Coast or select Tournament Organizers. They have unique names and features. Non-Premier tournaments are tournaments that are not explicitly Premier.

There are two major tournament formats: Limited and Constructed. Each has rules specific to its format. In Limited tournaments, all product for play is provided during the tournament. In Constructed tournaments, players compete using decks prepared beforehand. Some Premier tournaments may consist of multiple formats within the same tournament.

1.2 Publishing Tournament Information

Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to publish DCI-sanctioned tournament information at any time (including during the tournament). Tournament information includes, but is not limited to, the contents of one or more players' decks, descriptions of strategies or play, transcripts, and video reproductions. Tournament Organizers are also allowed to publish this information once their tournament is complete.

Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to publish penalty and suspension information.

1.3 Tournament Roles

The following roles are defined for tournament purposes:

- Tournament Organizer

- Head Judge

- Floor Judge

- Scorekeeper

- Player

- Spectator

The first four roles above are considered tournament officials. The Head Judge and floor judges are collectively considered judges. A single individual may act in any combination of tournament official roles. Individuals who are not judges at a tournament are acting as spectators in any match they are not playing in. Members of the press are also considered spectators.

1.4 Participation Eligibility

Anyone is eligible to participate as a player in a DCI-sanctioned, competitive tournament with the exception of the following:

- Individuals currently suspended by the DCI. The current DCI suspended player list is located at

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dci/suspended. Individuals currently suspended from the DCI may not act as tournament officials;

- Other individuals specifically prohibited from participation by DCI or Wizards of the Coast policy (such determination is at Wizards of the Coast's sole discretion);

- Individuals thirteen (13) years of age and younger who do not have their parent/guardians' permission;

- Anyone prohibited by federal, state, or local laws, the rules of the Tournament Organizer, or by a venue's management.

Anyone is eligible to participate as a tournament official (Tournament Organizer, Head Judge, floor judge or Scorekeeper) for a tournament with the exception of:

- Individuals currently suspended by the DCI;

- Anyone who has played in the tournament, unless it is a tournament that explicitly allows tournament officials to play while acting as a tournament official.

Tournament officials may play in a DCI-sanctioned tournament for which they are a tournament official if (and only if) the tournament is of the following event types:

- Friday Night Magic

- Prerelease

- Launch Party

- Magic Game Day

- Other non-Premier Magic Tournaments

- Tournaments in which the official Wizards of the Coast tournament fact sheet specifically permits officials of that tournament to play

If one or more tournament officials play in the tournament, it must be run at Regular Rules Enforcement Level. If tournament officials play in the tournament and the tournament is not one of the allowed event types listed above, the tournament will be invalidated. Tournament officials are required to officiate tournaments fairly and without regard to their own self-interest.

The owners of organizations that run Premier Events are not permitted to play in those events, even if the owner is not listed as a tournament official (organizer, judge, and/or scorekeeper) for that event.

1.5 DCI Membership Number

Tournament participants must provide their DCI membership number to the Scorekeeper during registration.

Players without a DCI membership number must request one from the Tournament Organizer. There is no cost associated with joining the DCI, but members are only allowed one DCI membership number. Results containing temporary player numbers, temporary player names, or placeholders may not be reported to the DCI.

1.6 Tournament Organizer

The Tournament Organizer of a tournament is responsible for all tournament logistics including:

- Securing a sanctioning number from the DCI.

- Providing a site for the tournament that meets the tournament's expected needs.

- Saving match result slips from each tournament for a period of 6 months (to aid in match appeals).

1.7 Head Judge

Sanctioned tournaments require the physical presence of a Head Judge during play to adjudicate disputes, interpret rules, and make other official decisions. The Head Judge is the final judicial authority at any DCI-sanctioned tournament and all tournament participants are expected to follow his or her interpretations. Although it is beneficial, the Head Judge does not have to be certified.

The Head Judge's responsibilities include:

- Ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to deal with game or policy rule violations that he or she notices or are brought to his or her attention.

- Issuing the final ruling in all appeals, potentially overturning the ruling of a floor judge.

- Coordinating and delegating tasks to floor judges as needed.

If necessary, the Head Judge may temporarily transfer his or her duties to any judge if he or she is unable to fulfill them for a period of time. Also, in exceptional circumstances, if the tournament's integrity would be damaged otherwise, the Tournament Organizer may replace the Head Judge.

Certain Premier tournaments have multiple Head Judges and/or different Head Judges for different portions of the tournament. All Head Judges share the same responsibilities and exercise the same authority while they are serving as a Head Judge.

1.8 Floor Judges

Floor judges are available to players and spectators to answer questions, deal with illegal plays, or assist with reasonable requests. They do not have to be certified.

Judges will not generally assist players in determining the current game state but can answer questions about the rules, interactions between cards, or provide the Oracle- wordings of relevant cards. At Regular Rules Enforcement Level, the judge may assist the player in understanding the game state in the interest of education. If a player wishes to ask his or her question away from the table, the request will usually be honored. Players may not request specific judges to answer their calls, but may request a tournament official to help translate. This request may be honored at the discretion of the original judge.

Judges do not intervene in a game to prevent illegal actions, but do intervene as soon as a rule has been broken or to prevent a situation from escalating.

1.9 Scorekeeper

The Scorekeeper ensures the correct generation of pairings and all other tournament records throughout the tournament. The Scorekeeper's responsibilities include:

- Generating correct pairings each round and accurately entering the results of those rounds.

- Generating standings for posting before the final Swiss round. Other rounds may also be posted at the Head Judge's discretion.

- Solving all scorekeeping problems that arise in consultation with the Head Judge.

- Making sure all necessary information is included in the tournament's report to be submitted to the DCI.

The Head Judge has the final authority in determining corrective action for scorekeeping errors.

1.10 Players

Players are responsible for:

- Behaving in a respectful manner toward tournament officials, other tournament participants, and spectators and refraining from unsporting conduct at all times.

- Maintaining a clear and legal game state.

- Complying with announced start times and time limits.

- Calling attention to any rules or policy infraction they notice in their matches.

- Bringing to a judge's attention any offers of bribery, wagering, improper game result determination, and any discrepancies in their tournament match record.

- Informing the DCI of any discrepancies in their overall match history, rankings, or Planeswalker Points as soon as they become aware of it. If players believe there is an anomaly in their match history, ranking, or Planeswalker Points they should refer to the Magic: The Gathering Event Appeals Policy, located at http://wpn.wizards.com/en/document/magic-event-appeals-policy.

- Having a single DCI membership number. Individuals holding more than one number must contact Wizards of the Coast Customer Service at http://www.wizards.com/customerservice so that their numbers can be merged.

- Refraining from enrolling in tournaments they are not allowed by policy to participate in (e.g. the winner of a Magic: The Gathering Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifier is barred from playing in further Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifiers that season).

- Being familiar with the rules contained within this document.

- Being physically present for the tournament. Players are not permitted to register for a tournament solely to collect participation Planeswalker Points.

A player must bring the following items to a tournament in order to participate:

- A physical, visible, and reliable method to maintain and record game information (tokens, score counters, pen and paper, and so on).

- A valid DCI membership number registered in the participant's name. New players may register for DCI membership when enrolling in the tournament.

- Any materials specifically required for a particular tournament format, such as assembled decks and/or decklists for constructed tournaments.

Players retain their responsibilities even if a judge provides them with extra assistance.

The individual members of a team are considered players, and are equally responsible for required tournament procedures, such as accurately filling out their match result slips. However, players are only responsible for the games they play themselves and not separate games being played by their teammates.

Players who do not fulfill their responsibilities may be subject to penalties and review by the DCI. Wizards of the Coast and the DCI reserve the right to suspend or revoke a player's membership without prior notice for any reason they deem necessary.

1.11 Spectators

Any person physically present at a tournament and not in any other category above is a spectator. Spectators are responsible for remaining silent and passive during matches and other official tournament sections in which players are also required to be silent. If spectators believe they have observed a rules or policy violation, they are encouraged to alert a judge as soon as possible. At Regular or Competitive Rules Enforcement Level, spectators are permitted to ask the players to pause the match while they alert a judge. At Professional Rules Enforcement Level, spectators must not interfere with the match directly.

Players may request that a spectator not observe their matches. Such requests must be made through a judge.

Tournament officials may also instruct a spectator not observe a match or matches.

1.12 Rules Enforcement Levels

Rules Enforcement Levels (REL) are a means to communicate to the players and judges what expectations they can have of the event in terms of rigidity of rules enforcement, technically correct play, and procedures used.

The Rules Enforcement Level of an event generally reflects the prizes awarded and the distance a player may be expected to travel.

The appropriate Rules Enforcement Level for specific programs is listed in Appendix F.

Regular

Regular events are focused on fun and social aspects, not enforcement. Most tournaments are run at this level unless they offer sizeable prizes or invitations. Players are expected to know most of the game rules, may have heard of policy and what is really bad, but generally play in a fashion similar to the way they do casually.

Players are still responsible for following the rules, but the focus is on education and sportsmanship over technically precise play. Infractions in these tournaments are covered by the Judging at Regular Rules Enforcement Level document, located at http://wpn.wizards.com/en/node/61.

Competitive

Competitive events are usually those with significant cash prizes or invitations awarded to Professional events.

Players are expected to know the game's rules and be familiar with the policies and procedures, but unintentional errors are not punished severely. These are events that protect the interests of all players by providing event integrity while also recognizing that not all players are intimately familiar with Professional-level event structure, proper procedures, and rules. Infractions in these tournaments are covered by the Magic Infraction Procedure Guide, located at http://wpn.wizards.com/en/document/magic-infraction-procedure-guide.

Professional

Professional level events offer large cash awards, prestige, and other benefits that draw players from great distances. These events hold players to a higher standard of behavior and technically-correct play than Competitive events. Infractions in these tournaments are covered by the Magic Infraction Procedure Guide, located at http://wpn.wizards.com/en/document/magic-infraction-procedure-guide.

2. Tournament Mechanics

2.1 Match Structure

A Magic match consists of a series of games that are played until one side has won a set number of games, usually two. Drawn games do not count toward this goal. If the round ends before a player has won the required number of games, the winner of the match is the player who has won the most games at that point. If both players have equal game wins, the match is a draw.

The Tournament Organizer may change the required number of games to be won for any portion of the tournament as long as this choice is announced before the tournament begins. Match results, not individual game results, are reported to the DCI for inclusion in Planeswalker Points.

2.2 Play/Draw Rule

For the first game of a match, the winner of a random method (such as a die roll or coin toss) chooses either to play first or to play second. The winner must state this choice before looking at his or her hand. If the winner states no choice, it is assumed that he or she is playing first. The player who plays first skips the draw step of his or her first turn. This is referred to as the play/draw rule.

After each game in a match, the loser of that game decides whether to play first in the next game. They may wait until after sideboarding to make the decision. If the previous game was a draw, the player who decided to play or draw at the beginning of the drawn game chooses.

In playoff matches, a different play/draw rule is used. In playoff matches, the player that was ranked higher in the Swiss rounds chooses either to play first or to play second in the first game of each match. For the second and subsequent games, the loser of the previous game decides whether to play first in the next game.

2.3 Pregame Procedures

The following steps must be performed in a timely manner before each game begins:

1. If game actions were taken during a previous game of the match, players may exchange cards in their decks for cards in their sideboards. Players may not sideboard during games that have been restarted.

2. Players shuffle their decks. Steps 1 and 2 may be repeated.

3. Players present their decks to their opponents for additional shuffling. The sideboard (if any) is also presented at this time.

4. After the first or subsequent game of the match, the relevant player must decide whether to play first or second at this point, if he or she hasn't done so already. If that player doesn't choose before looking at the cards in his or her hand, then he or she is considered to have chosen to play first.

5. Each player draws seven cards. Optionally, these cards may be dealt face down on the table.

6. Each player, in turn order, may take mulligans. (Rules on mulligans can be found in the Magic Comprehensive Rules, rule 103.4). If a player takes a mulligan, they repeat the shuffling and presentation process described above.

The game is considered to have begun once all players have completed taking mulligans. Pregame procedures may be performed before time for the match has officially begun.

2.4 Conceding or Intentionally Drawing Games or Matches

If a game or match is not completed, players may concede or mutually agree to a draw in that game or match. A match is considered complete once the result slip is filled out or, if match slips are not being used, a player leaves the table after game play is finished. Until that point, either player may concede to or draw with the other, though if the conceding player won a game in the match, the match must be reported as 2-1. Intentional draws where no games were played are always reported as 0-0-3.

Players may not agree to a concession or draw in exchange for any reward or incentive. Doing so will be considered Bribery (see section 5.2).

If a player refuses to play, it is assumed that he or she has conceded the match.

2.5 End-of-Match Procedure

If the match time limit is reached before a winner is determined, the player whose turn it is finishes his or her turn and five additional turns are played in total. This usually means that one player takes three turns and the other two, but a player taking extra turns may affect this. Team tournaments featuring multiple players playing together (such as Two-Headed Giant) use three turns instead of five.

Once time is called, no new games should begin.

If the game is incomplete at the end of additional turns, the game is considered a draw.

If a judge assigned a time extension (because of a long ruling, deck check, or other reason) the end-of-match procedure does not begin until the end of the time extension.

In single-elimination rounds, matches may not end in a draw. If all players have equal game wins at the end of additional turns, the player with the highest life total wins the current game. In the event all players have equal life totals (or are between games and the game wins are tied), the game/match continues with an additional state-based action: if a player does not have the highest life total, he or she loses the game. Two-Headed Giant teams are treated as a single player for determining a game winner.

2.6 Time Extensions

If a judge pauses a match for more than one minute while the round clock is running, he or she should extend the match time appropriately. If the match was interrupted to perform a deck check, players are awarded time equal to the time the deck check took plus three minutes.

Certain slow play penalties add turns rather than a time extension. These additional turns are added to the end-of-match additional turns.

2.7 Deck Registration

Players are required to register their decks and sideboards (if applicable) in Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Level tournaments. The Head Judge may require registration in Regular Rules Enforcement Level tournaments.

Players in individual Limited tournaments using decklists must refrain from communicating with, or revealing hidden information to, any players or spectators until after they hand in their decklists.

Registered decklists record the original composition of each deck and sideboard (if applicable). Once your decklist has been accepted by a Tournament Official it may not be altered.

In Constructed tournaments, decklists must be submitted to a tournament official prior to the start of round 1, even if the player has an awarded bye for that round.

In Limited tournaments, decklists must be submitted prior to the start of the first round in which that player participates and does not have an awarded bye.

Players have the right to request to see their decklist between matches. Such a request will be honored if logistically possible.

Generally, decklists are not public information and are not shared with other players during a tournament. At constructed-format, Professional Rules Enforcement Level tournaments (Pro Tour, World Magic Cup, World Championship, and Grand Prix), copies of opponents' decklists will be provided to players in the single-elimination playoffs.

2.8 Deck Checks

Deck checks must be performed at all Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Level tournaments, and the Head Judge has the option to perform deck checks at Regular Rules Enforcement Level tournaments. At least ten percent of all decks should be checked over the course of the tournament. A full deck check should not be performed if a player has drawn an opening hand and potentially made mulligan decisions.

2.9 Appeals to the Head Judge

If a player disagrees with a judge's ruling, he or she may appeal the ruling to the Head Judge. In larger, Premier-level tournaments (such as Grand Prix and Pro Tours), with prior approval, the Head Judge may designate additional Appeals Judges who are also empowered to hear appeals. They will be wearing the same uniform as the Head Judge.

Players may not appeal before the full ruling is made by the responding floor judge. Rulings made by the Head Judge or designated Appeals Judges are final.

2.10 Dropping from a Tournament

Players may drop from a tournament at any time. If a player drops from a tournament before the first round of play has started, he or she is considered to have not participated in the tournament and will not be listed in the finish order nor receive participation Planeswalker Points. Players choosing to drop from a tournament must inform the Scorekeeper by the means provided for that tournament before the pairings for the next round are generated. Players wanting to drop after the Scorekeeper begins pairing for the next round will be paired for that round. If a player does not show up for his or her match, he or she will be automatically dropped from the tournament unless they report to the Scorekeeper. Players that repeatedly and/or intentionally drop from tournaments without informing the scorekeepers of those events may be the subject of penalties up to and including suspension.

Players who drop during limited events own the cards that they correctly have in their possession at that time.

This includes any unopened or partially drafted boosters.

If a player drops from a tournament after a cut has been made, such as a cut to the top 8 playoff in a Grand Prix tournament, no other player is advanced as a replacement. The highest ranked remaining player receives a bye for the round instead.

Players who have dropped may reenter a tournament at the discretion of the Head Judge. Players may not reenter a portion of the tournament that requires a deck they did not draft or build. Players may not reenter a tournament after any cut has been made.

Players may not drop from a tournament in exchange for or influenced by the offer of any reward or incentive.

Doing so is considered Bribery (see section 5.2).

2.11 Taking Notes

Players are allowed to take written notes during a match and may refer to those notes while that match is in progress. At the beginning of a match, each player's note sheet must be empty and must remain visible throughout the match. Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players. Judges may ask to see a player's notes and/or request that the player explain his or her notes.

Players may not refer to other notes, including notes from previous matches, during games.

Between games, players may refer to a brief set of notes made before the match. They are not required to reveal these notes to their opponents. These notes must be removed from the play area before the beginning of the next game. Excessive quantities of notes (more than a sheet or two) are not allowed and may be penalized as slow play.

The use of electronic devices to take and refer to notes is permitted at Regular Rules Enforcement Level (see section 2.12 Electronic Devices).

Players and spectators (exception: authorized press) may not make notes while drafting. Players may not reference any outside notes during drafting, card pool registration, or deckbuilding.

Players may refer to Oracle text at any time. They must do so publicly and in a format which contains no other strategic information. Consulting online sources, such as gatherer.wizards.com, is allowed at Regular Rules Enforcement Level even if they contain a small amount of strategic information. If a player wishes to view Oracle text in private, he or she must ask a judge.

Artistic modifications to cards that indirectly provide minor strategic information are acceptable. The Head Judge is the final arbiter on what cards and notes are acceptable for a tournament.

2.12 Electronic Devices

At Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Level during drafting, deck construction, and playing of matches, players may not use electronic devices capable of taking and storing notes, communicating with other people, or accessing the internet (with the exception of taking brief personal calls with the opponent's permission).

At Regular Rules Enforcement Level, electronic devices are permitted, but players may not use them to access information that contains substantial strategic advice or information about an opponent's deck. Device use during a match other than brief personal calls must be visible to all players. Players wishing to view information privately on electronic devices during matches must request permission from a judge.

The Head Judge or Tournament Organizer of a tournament may further restrict or forbid the use of electronic devices during matches.

2.13 Video Coverage

Some Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Level events use video for live streaming or replay broadcast of matches. Players may decline to appear on camera; however, players in the playoff matches of Professional Rules Enforcement Level events may not decline to appear on camera. Video commentators are considered spectators for the purpose of the tournament, but may talk during the match as long as they can't be heard by players being covered. They are responsible for behaving respectfully to all tournament participants during coverage.

Spectators are also permitted to record matches provided that they do so unobtrusively.

The Head Judge of a World Championship, World Magic Cup, or Pro Tour tournament may, in his or her sole discretion, use video replay to assist in making rulings during a match. Video replays may not be used to assist in making rulings in events other than a World Championship, World Magic Cup, or Pro Tour tournament. Players may not request that a judge consult a video replay. Video replays may also be used for investigative purposes at a later time.

At Professional Rules Enforcement Level events which use video for live-streaming or replay broadcast of matches, players playing matches in the video filming area must arrange their cards, tokens, and other accessories on the battlefield using the following layout:

- From the player's perspective, nonlands must be kept closer to the player's opponent than lands, and no cards should be between the land area and the edge of the table closest to the player.

- Non-creature permanents whose use may reasonably be associated with either the land or nonland area (e.g. an artifact whose only ability is a mana ability) may be located in either area, provided the overall layout is, in the judgment of tournament officials, clear. However, permanents that are also creatures (e.g. artifacts with March of the Machines on the battlefield, Dryad Arbor, or a Treetop Village that is currently a creature) must be placed in the nonland area. Players may not use other cards to intentionally obscure the presence of a permanent in any area of the battlefield.

- Each card should remain clearly associated with any permanents attached to it. For example, an Aura enchanting a land should be in the land area in contact with that land.

- The player's library, graveyard, and exiled cards should be kept all to the left of the battlefield or all to the right of the battlefield at the player's discretion.

- The player's graveyard and exiled cards should be adjacent to the player's library. All three should be distinct at all times.

- If a card is exiled by a permanent and that permanent includes a way to perform additional actions with the exiled card, that card should remain in contact with that permanent such that the association is clear.

- Each untapped permanent should face its controller. Players are permitted to briefly turn a card upside-down as a memory aid.

Tournament officials may make exceptions or additions to these guidelines at their sole discretion in order to keep each player's game layout clear. Players in exceptional situations (e.g. a player playing a deck with no lands or a deck that makes significant use of the graveyard) should consult with tournament officials to determine what allowances, if any, will be made.

2.14 Life Totals

At the start of a match, each player must indicate how he or she will keep track of his or her life total (including number of poison counters). This method must be visible to both players during the match. A shared method is acceptable as long as all players in the match have access to it.

A change in a player's life total should be accompanied by a verbal announcement by that player of the new life total.

If a player notices a discrepancy in a recorded or announced life total, he or she is expected to point it out as soon as the discrepancy is noticed.

3. Tournament Rules

3.1 Tiebreakers

The following tiebreakers are used to determine how a player ranks in a tournament:

1. Match points

2. Opponents' match-win percentage

3. Game-win percentage

4. Opponents' game-win percentage

Definitions of these tiebreakers can be found in Appendix C. Not all of these tiebreakers may be used in formats with single-game matches.

3.2 Format and Ratings Categories

Wizards of the Coast sanctions the following formats as individual, three-person team, or Two-Headed Giant tournaments:

Constructed Formats

- Standard

- Block Constructed

- Modern

Eternal Constructed Formats

- Vintage

- Legacy

Limited Formats

- Sealed Deck

- Booster Draft (individual and Two-Headed Giant only)

- Rochester Draft (three-person team only)

Wizards of the Coast maintains the following Planeswalker Points rating categories:

- Lifetime

- Yearly

- Professional

For complete information about Planeswalker Points, visit the Planeswalker Points website at

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/PlaneswalkerPoints

3.3 Authorized Cards

Players may use any Authorized Game Cards from Magic: The Gathering expansions, core sets, special sets, supplements, and promotional printings. Authorized Game Cards are cards that, unaltered, meet the following conditions:

- The card is genuine and published by Wizards of the Coast

- The card has a standard Magic back, is a double-faced card, or is a card that is part of a meld pair.

- The card does not have squared corners.

- The card has black or white borders.

- The card is not a token card.

- The card is not damaged or modified in a way that might make it marked.

- The card is otherwise legal for the tournament as defined by the format.

The Head Judge of an event may issue a proxy (see section 3.4) for a card that has become worn or damaged during the tournament. Any other cards that are not Authorized Game Cards are prohibited in all sanctioned tournaments.

Unglued and Unhinged basic land cards are allowed in sanctioned Magic tournaments.

Players may use cards from the Alpha printing only if the deck is in opaque sleeves.

Players may use otherwise-legal non-English and/or misprinted cards provided they are not using them to create an advantage by using misleading text or pictures. Official promotional textless spells are allowed in sanctioned Magic tournaments in which they would otherwise be legal.

Artistic modifications are acceptable in sanctioned tournaments, provided that the modifications do not make the card art unrecognizable, contain substantial strategic advice, or contain offensive images. Artistic modifications also may not obstruct or change the mana cost or name of the card.

The Head Judge is the final authority on acceptable cards for a tournament.

3.4 Proxy Cards

A proxy card is used during competition to represent an Authorized Game Card that has been accidentally damaged or excessively worn in the current tournament (including damaged or misprinted Limited product) as determined solely by the Head Judge. Proxies are not allowed as substitutes for cards that their owner has damaged intentionally or through negligence.

Players may not create their own proxies; they may only be created by the Head Judge. When a judge creates a proxy, it is included in the player's deck and must be denoted as a proxy in a clear and conspicuous manner. The original card is kept nearby during the match and replaces the proxy while in a public zone as long as it is recognizable. A proxy is valid only for the duration of the tournament in which it was originally issued.

Official checklist cards are Authorized Game Cards and may have a proxy issued by a judge.

3.5 Checklist Cards

Official checklist cards are used to represent double-faced cards in the sets that contain them. Only official checklist cards may be used to represent double-faced cards in a deck.

The use of checklist cards is required if a player has double-faced cards in his or her deck and is not using completely opaque sleeves.

If a player uses a checklist card to represent a double-faced card in his or her deck, then all copies of that double-faced card in the deck must be represented by checklist cards, and any copies of that double-faced card in a hidden zone are considered to not exist for purposes of determining deck legality.

Each individual checklist card used must have one (and only one) of the items checked.

A checklist card is only used while the card it represents is in a hidden zone. The card represented by a checklist card is not a playable Magic card until the checklist card has been placed in a public zone. Multiple checklists cannot be used to represent a single copy of the actual card. For each checklist card used, the player must have a copy of the actual card available, though they are not considered sideboard cards and are not presented to their opponent.

3.6 Card Interpretation

The official text of any card is the Oracle text corresponding to the name of the card. Players have the right to request access to the official wording of a card only if they can uniquely identify that card, although the card does not necessarily have to be identified by name. That request will be honored if logistically possible. Identifying a double-faced or flip card by either name on it is acceptable, as long as the ability that requires the name does not refer to an object on the battlefield.

Players may not use errors or omissions in Oracle to abuse the rules. The Head Judge is the final authority for card interpretations, and he or she may overrule Oracle if an error is discovered.

Certain cards refer to a (card or cards) you own from outside the game. In tournament play, a card you own from outside the game" is a card in that player's sideboard.

3.7 New Releases

Newly released card sets become tournament legal for sanctioned tournaments on the following dates:

- Shadows over Innistrad- April 8, 2016

- Eldritch Moon- July 22, 2016

- Kaladesh- September 30, 2016

- Aether Revolt- January 20, 2017

For official Prerelease tournaments only, new sets are legal for use before the official format legal date. In these cases, any announced rules updates shall be in effect at these tournaments, including informal explanations of new rules and mechanics.

These dates may be subject to change. Any changes will be announced at http://www.magicthegathering.com.

3.8 Game Markers

Small items (e.g. glass beads) may be used as markers and placed on top of a player's own library or graveyard as a reminder for in-game effects. These markers may not disguise the number of cards remaining in that zone nor completely obscure any card.

Players using markers to represent in-game components (e.g. permanents) must have a way of clearly representing any in-game status, such as whether a permanent is tapped. Sleeves or card backs that appear similar to any player's sleeves or card backs may not be used as markers. A tournament official may disallow the use of game markers that can cause confusion or that are deemed inappropriate or offensive.

3.9 Card Shuffling

Decks must be randomized at the start of every game and whenever an instruction requires it. Randomization is defined as bringing the deck to a state where no player can have any information regarding the order or position of cards in any portion of the deck. Pile shuffling alone is not sufficiently random.

Once the deck is randomized, it must be presented to an opponent. By this action, players state that their decks are legal and randomized. The opponent may then shuffle it additionally. Cards and sleeves must not be in danger of being damaged during this process. If the opponent does not believe the player made a reasonable effort to randomize his or her deck, the opponent must notify a judge. Players may request to have a judge shuffle their cards rather than the opponent; this request will be honored only at a judge's discretion.

If a player has had the opportunity to see any of the card faces of the deck being shuffled, the deck is no longer considered randomized and must be randomized again.

At Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Level tournaments, players are required to shuffle their opponents' decks after their owners have shuffled them. The Head Judge can require this at Regular Rules Enforcement Level tournaments as well.

3.10 Sleeves

Players may use plastic card sleeves or other protective devices on cards. If a player chooses to use card sleeves, all sleeves must be identical and all cards in his or her deck must be placed in the sleeves in an identical manner.

If the sleeves feature holograms or other similar markings, cards must be inserted into the sleeves so these markings appear only on the faces of the cards.

During a match, a player may request that a judge inspect an opponent's card sleeves. The judge may disallow the card sleeves if he or she believes they are marked, worn, or otherwise in a condition or of a design that interferes with shuffling or game play. In the interest of efficiency, the judge may choose to delay any change of sleeves until the end of the match.

Highly reflective backs are not allowed. Sleeves with hologram patterns across some or all of the sleeve front or back are not allowed. Sleeves with artwork on their backs may be subjected to additional scrutiny, especially if there is no solid border around the edges.

When using sleeves on double-faced cards, sleeves must be completely opaque.

The Head Judge is the final authority on what sleeves are allowed.

3.11 Marked Cards

Players are responsible for ensuring that their cards and/or card sleeves are not marked during the course of the tournament. A card or sleeve is considered marked if it bears something that makes it possible to identify the card without seeing its face, including scratches, discoloration, and bends.

If a player's cards are sleeved, the cards must be examined while in the sleeves to determine if they are marked.

Players should use care when sleeving their decks and should randomize their decks prior to sleeving them to reduce the possibility of cards becoming marked with a pattern. Players should also keep in mind that cards or sleeves may become worn and potentially marked through play during the course of a tournament.

The Head Judge has the authority to determine if a card in a player's deck is marked. Judges may request that a player remove his or her current sleeves or replace any of the deck's current sleeves immediately, or before the next round.

If a player is required to replace a card in his or her deck and is unable to find a replacement, the player may replace the card with a card named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest of his or her choice. This also applies to cards that are lost.

3.12 Hidden Information

Hidden information refers to the faces of cards and other objects at which the rules of the game and format do not allow you to look.

Throughout the match, a draft, and pregame procedures, players are responsible for keeping their cards above the level of the playing surface and for making reasonable efforts to prevent hidden information from being revealed.

However, players may choose to reveal their hands or any other hidden information available to them, unless specifically prohibited by the rules. Players must not actively attempt to gain information hidden from them, but are not required to inform opponents who are accidentally revealing hidden information.

3.13 Tapped/Flipped Cards

If a card must be tapped or flipped, it must be turned approximately 90 degrees (tapped) or 180 degrees (flipped), whichever is appropriate.

3.14 Graveyard Order

In formats involving only cards from Urza's Saga- and later, players may change the order of their graveyard at any time. A player may not change the order of an opponent's graveyard.

3.15 Sideboard

A sideboard is a group of additional cards the player may use to modify his or her deck between games of a match. The player may use these cards in his or her main deck during all games after the first one in a match.

Other items (token cards, double-faced card represented in the deck by a checklist card, etc.) should be kept separate from the sideboard during game play.

Before the beginning of the second or subsequent game in a match, players may change the composition of their deck by exchanging cards from their deck for cards in their sideboard. If players restart a game due to an in-game effect, the composition of their decks must remain the same for the restarted game.

Before each game begins, players must present their sideboard (if any) face down. Opponents may count the number of cards in their opponent's sideboard at any time. Players are not required to reveal how many cards they have swapped from their main deck to their sideboard.

During a game, players may look at their own sideboard, keeping it clearly distinguishable from other cards at all times. If a player gains control of another player, he or she may not look at that player's sideboard, nor may he or she have that player access his or her sideboard.

The deck and sideboard must each be returned to their original compositions before the first game of each match.

Restrictions on the composition and use of a sideboard can be found in the deck construction rules for a particular format type.

If a penalty causes a player to lose the first game in a match before that game has begun, or the first game is intentionally drawn before any cards are played, neither player may use cards from his or her sideboard for the next game in the match.

4. Communication

4.1 Player Communication

Communication between players is essential to the successful play of any game that involves virtual objects or hidden information. While bluffing may be an aspect of games, there need to be clear lines as to what is, and is not, acceptable for players to say or otherwise represent. This will confirm expectations of both sporting and competitive players during a game.

A player should have an advantage due to better understanding of the options provided by the rules of the game, greater awareness of the interactions in the current game state, and superior tactical planning. Players are under no obligation to assist their opponents in playing the game. Regardless of anything else, players are expected to treat opponents politely and with respect. Failure to do so may lead to Unsporting Conduct penalties.

There are three categories of information: free, derived and private.

Free information is information to which all players are entitled access without contamination or omissions made by their opponents. If a player is ever unable or unwilling to provide free information to an opponent that has requested it, he or she should call a judge and explain the situation. Free information consists of:

- Details of current game actions and past game actions that still affect the game state.

- The name of any visible object.

- The type of any counter in a public zone.

- The state (whether it's tapped, attached to another permanent, face down, etc.) and current zone of any object.

- Player life totals, poison counter totals, and the game score of the current match.

- The contents of each player's mana pool.

- The current step and/or phase and which player(s) are active.

Derived information is information to which all players are entitled access, but opponents are not obliged to assist in determining and may require some skill or calculation to determine. Derived information consists of:

- The number of any kind of objects present in any game zone.

- All characteristics of objects in public zones that are not defined as free information.

- Game Rules, Tournament Policy, Oracle content and any other official information pertaining to the current tournament. Cards are considered to have their Oracle text printed on them.

Private information is information to which players have access only if they are able to determine it from the current visual game state or their own record of previous game actions.

- Any information that is not free or derived is automatically private information.

The following rules govern player communication:

- Players must answer all questions asked of them by a judge completely and honestly, regardless of the type of information requested. Players may request to do so away from the match.

- At Regular Rules Enforcement Level, all derived information is instead considered free.

Judges are encouraged to help players in determining free information, but must avoid assisting players with derived information about the game state.

4.2 Tournament Shortcuts

A tournament shortcut is an action taken by players to skip parts of the technical play sequence without explicitly announcing them. Tournament shortcuts are essential for the smooth play of a game, as they allow players to play in a clear fashion without getting bogged down in the minutiae of the rules. Most tournament shortcuts involve skipping one or more priority passes to the mutual understanding of all players; if a player wishes to demonstrate or use a new tournament shortcut entailing any number of priority passes, he or she must be clear where the game state will end up as part of the request.

A player may interrupt a tournament shortcut by explaining how he or she is deviating from it or at which point in the middle he or she wishes to take an action. A player may interrupt his or her own shortcut in this manner. A player is not allowed to use a previously undeclared tournament shortcut, or to modify an in-use tournament shortcut without announcing the modification, in order to create ambiguity in the game.

A player may not request priority and take no action with it. If a player decides he or she does not wish to do anything, the request is nullified and priority is returned to the player that originally had it.

Certain conventional tournament shortcuts used in Magic are detailed below. If a player wishes to deviate from these, he or she should be explicit about doing so. Note that some of these are exceptions to the policy above in that they do cause non-explicit priority passes.

- The statement "Go" (and equivalents such as "Your turn" and "Done") offers to keep passing priority until an opponent has priority in the end step. Opponents are assumed to be acting then unless they specify otherwise.

- A statement such as "I'm ready for combat" or "Declare attackers?" offers to keep passing priority until an opponent has priority in the beginning of combat step. Opponents are assumed to be acting then unless they specify otherwise.

- Whenever a player adds an object to the stack, he or she is assumed to be passing priority unless he or she explicitly announces that he or she intends to retain it. If he or she adds a group of objects to the stack without explicitly retaining priority and a player wishes to take an action at a point in the middle, the actions should be reversed up to that point.

- If a player casts a spell or activates an ability with X in its mana cost without specifying the value of X, it is assumed to be for all mana currently available in his or her pool.

- If a player casts a spell or activates an ability and announces choices for it that are not normally made until resolution, the player must adhere to those choices unless an opponent responds to that spell or ability. If an opponent inquires about choices made during resolution, that player is assumed to be passing priority and allowing that spell or ability to resolve.

- A player is assumed to have paid any cost of 0 unless he or she announces otherwise.

- A player who casts a spell or activates an ability that targets an object on the stack is assumed to target the legal target closest to the top of the stack unless the player specifies otherwise.

- A player is assumed to be attacking another player with his or her creatures and not any planeswalkers that player may control unless the attacking player specifies otherwise.

- A player who chooses a planeswalker as the target of a spell or ability that would deal damage is assumed to be targeting the planeswalker's controller and redirecting the damage on resolution. The player must adhere to that choice unless an opponent responds.

- A player who does not scry (or look at the top card of the library after taking a mulligan) when instructed to is assumed to have chosen to leave the cards in the same order.

4.3 Out-of-Order Sequencing

Due to the complexity of accurately representing a game of Magic, it is acceptable for players to engage in a block of actions that, while technically in an incorrect order, arrive at a legal and clearly understood game state once they are complete.

All actions taken must be legal if they were executed in the correct order, and any opponent can ask the player to do the actions in the correct sequence so that he or she can respond at the appropriate time (at which point players will not be held to any still-pending actions).

An out-of-order sequence must not result in a player prematurely gaining information which could reasonably affect decisions made later in that sequence.

Players may not try to use opponent's reactions to some portion of an out-of-order sequence to see if he or she should modify actions or try to take additional ones. Nor may players use out-of-order sequencing to try to retroactively take an action they missed at the appropriate time. In general, any substantial pause at the end of a completed batch is an indication that all actions have been taken, the sequence is complete and the game has moved to the appropriate point at the end of the sequence.

Examples

1. A player discards a card to pay for Masticore's upkeep cost before untapping his or her land.

2. A player resolves Harrow and puts the card into his or her graveyard, then searches.

3. While resolving Restore Balance, a player discards before sacrificing lands and creatures.

4. A player with two creatures being put into the graveyard due to state-based actions resolves the leaves-the-battlefield triggered ability on one of them before putting the other creature in the graveyard.

5. A player declares a blocker, animates a Treetop Village, and then attempts to block with that Treetop Village.

4.4 Triggered Abilities

Players are expected to remember their own triggered abilities; intentionally ignoring one is Cheating. Players are not required to point out the existence of triggered abilities that they do not control, though they may do so within a turn if they wish.

Triggered abilities are considered to be forgotten by their controller once they have taken an action past the point where the triggered ability would have an observable impact on the game. Triggered abilities that are forgotten are not considered to have gone onto the stack. How forgotten triggered abilities are subsequently handled is defined by the Rules Enforcement Level of the event.

4.5 Team/Two-Headed Giant Communication

Members of the same team may, at all times, communicate between one another verbally. This includes during play, during drafting, and during deck construction of Limited tournaments. However, team members that have an opportunity to acquire hidden information (e.g. by speaking to spectators following their own match while a teammate is still playing), are restricted from communicating with teammates for the duration of that match.

Prohibitions against written notes of any kind during drafts apply to team drafts as well.

5. Tournament Violations

5.1 Cheating

Cheating will not be tolerated. The Head Judge reviews all cheating allegations, and if he or she believes that a player has cheated, he or she will issue the appropriate penalty based on the Infraction Procedure Guide or Judging at Regular Rules Enforcement Level document. All disqualifications are subject to DCI review and further penalties may be assessed.

5.2 Bribery

The decision to drop, concede, or agree to an intentional draw cannot be made in exchange for or influenced by the offer of any reward or incentive, nor may any in-game decision be influenced in this manner. Making such an offer is prohibited. Unless the player receiving such an offer calls for a judge immediately, both players will be penalized in the same manner. Players may not make any offers to tournament officials in an attempt to influence the outcome of a ruling.

Players are allowed to share prizes they have not yet received in the current tournament as they wish and may agree as such before or during their match, as long as any such sharing does not occur in exchange for any game or match result or the dropping of a player from the tournament. As an exception, players in the announced last round of the single-elimination portion of a tournament may agree to divide tournament prizes as they wish. In that case, one of the players at each table must agree to drop from the tournament. Players are then awarded prizes according to their resulting ranking.

The result of a match or game may not be randomly or arbitrarily determined through any means other than the normal progress of the game in play. Examples include (but are not limited to) rolling a die, flipping a coin, arm wrestling, or playing any other game.

Players may not reach an agreement in conjunction with other matches. Players can make use of information regarding match or game scores of other tables. However, players are not allowed to leave their seats during their match or go to great lengths to obtain this information.

Players in the single-elimination rounds of a tournament offering only cash, store credit, prize tickets, and/or unopened product as prizes may, with the permission of the Tournament Organizer, agree to split the prizes evenly. The players may end the tournament at that point or continue to play. All players still in the tournament must agree to the arrangement.

Example: Before the semifinals of a tournament (in which first place gets 12 packs, second place gets 8 packs and 3rd and 4th get 4 packs each) begins, the players may get permission from the Tournament Organizer to end the tournament, with each player receiving 7 packs.

Example: In the finals of a 1-slot Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifier that offers a travel award and an invitation to the winner, the two finalists may agree to split the tournament prizes, but this agreement cannot alter the results of the match. One player must drop from the tournament, leaving the travel award and the invitation to the player who did not drop from the tournament. That player is then free to split the remainder of the prizes as agreed upon. The travel award and invitation are a single item and may not be split.

5.3 Wagering

Tournament participants, tournament officials, and spectators may not wager, ante, or bet on any portion (including the outcome) of a tournament, match, or game.

5.4 Unsporting Conduct

Unsporting conduct will not be tolerated at any time. Tournament participants must behave in a polite and respectful manner. Unsporting conduct includes, but is not limited to:

- Using profanity.

- Engaging in behavior that could reasonably be expected to create a feeling of being harassed, bullied, or stalked.

- Violating the personal privacy or safety of any participant, including spectators and staff.

- Using social media to bully, shame, or intimidate other participants.

- Failing to follow the instructions of a tournament official.

Officials are expected to investigate potential matters brought their attention as soon as possible and take actions to discourage repeat behavior. All incidents of unsporting conduct are subject to further DCI review.

5.5 Slow Play

Players must take their turns in a timely fashion regardless of the complexity of the play situation and adhere to time limits specified for the tournament. Players must maintain a pace to allow the match to be finished in the announced time limit. Stalling is not acceptable. Players may ask a judge to watch their game for slow play; such a request will be granted if feasible.

6. Constructed Tournament Rules

6.1 Deck Construction Restrictions

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size. If a player chooses to use a sideboard, it may not contain more than fifteen cards.

With the exception of cards with the basic supertype or cards with text that specifies otherwise, a player's combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, based on its English card title.

A card may only be used in a particular format if the card is from a set that is legal in that format or has the same name as a card from a set that is legal in that format.

Cards banned in a specific format may not be used in decks for that format. Cards restricted in a specific format may only have one copy in a deck, including sideboard.

6.2 Sideboard Use

Players may exchange any number of cards between their deck and sideboard, provided that the resulting deck and sideboard are legal. There are no restrictions on the number of cards a player may exchange this way. Cards do not need to be exchanged on a one-for-one basis.

6.3 Standard Format Deck Construction

The following card sets are permitted in Standard tournaments:

- Dragons of Tarkir- (until September 30, 2016)

- Magic Origins- (until September 30, 2016)

- Battle for Zendikar-

- Oath of the Gatewatch-

- Shadows over Innistrad

- Eldritch Moon (effective July 22, 2016)

- Kaladesh (effective September 30, 2016)

- Aether Revolt (effective January 20, 2017)

In addition, cards from Booster Battle Pack, Welcome Deck, and Deckbuilder's Toolkit products with the W16

set identification code and the

expansion symbol are also permitted in Standard Tournaments. These cards will rotate out of the Standard format at the same time as the Shadows over Innistrad expansion.

There are currently no cards banned in Standard tournaments.

6.4 Modern Format Deck Construction

The following card sets are permitted in Modern tournaments:

- Eighth Edition

- Magic 2011 core set

- Mirrodin

- Scars of Mirrodin

- Darksteel

- Mirrodin Besieged

- Fifth Dawn

- New Phyrexia

- Champions of Kamigawa

- Magic 2012 core set

- Betrayers of Kamigawa

- Innistrad

- Saviors of Kamigawa

- Dark Ascension

- Ninth Edition

- Avacyn Restored

- Ravnica: City of Guilds

- Magic 2013 core set

- Guildpact

- Return to Ravnica

- Dissension

- Gatecrash

- Coldsnap

- Dragon's Maze

- Time Spiral

- Magic 2014 core set

- Planar Chaos

- Theros-

- Future Sight

- Born of the Gods-

- Tenth Edition

- Journey Into Nyx-

- Lorwyn

- Magic 2015 core set

- Morningtide

- Khans of Tarkir-

- Shadowmoor

- Fate Reforged-

- Eventide

- Dragons of Tarkir

- Shards of Alara

- Magic Origins

- Conflux

- Battle for Zendikar

- Alara Reborn

- Oath of the Gatewatch

- Magic 2010 core set

- Shadows over Innistrad

- Zendikar

- Eldritch Moon (effective July 22, 2016)

- Worldwake

- Kaladesh (effective September 30, 2016)

- Rise of the Eldrazi

- Aether Revolt (effective

The following cards are banned in Modern tournaments:

- Ancient Den

- Preordain

- Birthing Pod

- Punishing Fire

- Blazing Shoal

- Rite of Flame

- Bloodbraid Elf

- Seat of the Synod

- Chrome Mox

- Second Sunrise

- Cloudpost

- Seething Song

- Dark Depths

- Sensei's Divining Top

- Deathrite Shaman

- Skullclamp

- Dig Through Time

- Splinter Twin

- Dread Return

- Stoneforge Mystic

- Eye of Ugin

- Summer Bloom

- Glimpse of Nature

- Treasure Cruise

- Great Furnace

- Tree of Tales

- Green Sun's Zenith

- Umezawa's Jitte

- Hypergenesis

- Vault of Whispers

- Jace, the Mind Sculptor

- Mental Misstep

- Ponder

6.5 Vintage Format Deck Construction

Vintage decks may consist of cards from all Magic card sets, plus the following cards: Sewers of Estark, Mana Crypt, Windseeker Centaur, and Nalathni Dragon.

Cards from expansions and special sets (like From the Vault, Magic: The Gathering-Commander, Duel Decks, Conspiracy, etc.) are legal in the Vintage format on the date of release of the expansion or special set.

The following cards are banned in Vintage tournaments:

- Advantageous Proclamation

- Muzzio's Preparations

- Amulet of Quoz

- Power Play

- Backup Plan

- Rebirth

- Brago's Favor

- Secret Summoning

- Bronze Tablet

- Secrets of Paradise

- Chaos Orb

- Sentinel Dispatch

- Contract from Below

- Shahrazad

- Darkpact

- Tempest Efreet

- Demonic Attorney

- Timmerian Fiends

- Double Stroke

- Unexpected Potential

- Falling Star

- Worldknit

- Immediate Action

- Iterative Analysis

- Jeweled Bird

The following cards are restricted in Vintage tournaments:

- Ancestral Recall

- Mox Pearl

- Balance

- Mox Ruby

- Black Lotus

- Mox Sapphire

- Brainstorm

- Mystical Tutor

- Chalice of the Void

- Necropotence

- Channel

- Ponder

- Demonic Consultation

- Sol Ring

- Demonic Tutor

- Strip Mine

- Dig Through Time

- Time Vault

- Fastbond

- Time Walk

- Flash

- Timetwister

- Imperial Seal

- Tinker

- Library of Alexandria

- Tolarian Academy

- Lion's Eye Diamond

- Treasure Cruise

- Lodestone Golem

- Trinisphere

- Lotus Petal

- Vampiric Tutor

- Mana Crypt

- Wheel of Fortune

- Mana Vault

- Windfall

- Memory Jar

- Yawgmoth's Bargain

- Merchant Scroll

- Yawgmoth's Will

- Mind's Desire

- Mox Emerald

- Mox Jet

6.6 Legacy Format Deck Construction

Legacy decks may consist of cards from all Magic card sets, plus the following cards: Sewers of Estark, Windseeker Centaur, and Nalathni Dragon (Mana Crypt would also be included were it not currently banned - see below).

Cards from expansions and special sets (like From the Vault, Magic: The Gathering-Commander, Duel Decks, Conspiracy, etc.) are legal in the Legacy format on the date of release of the expansion or special set.

The following cards are banned in Legacy tournaments:

- Advantageous Proclamation

- Mind's Desire

- Amulet of Quoz

- Mishra's Workshop

- Ancestral Recall

- Mox Emerald

- Backup Plan

- Mox Jet

- Balance

- Mox Pearl

- Bazaar of Baghdad

- Mox Ruby

- Black Lotus

- Mox Sapphire

- Brago's Favor

- Muzzio's Preparations

- Bronze Tablet

- Mystical Tutor

- Channel

- Necropotence

- Chaos Orb

- Oath of Druids

- Contract from Below

- Power Play

- Darkpact

- Rebirth

- Demonic Attorney

- Secret Summoning

- Demonic Consultation

- Secrets of Paradise

- Demonic Tutor

- Sentinel Dispatch

- Dig Through Time

- Shahrazad

- Double Stroke

- Skullclamp

- Earthcraft

- Sol Ring

- Falling Star

- Survival of the Fittest

- Fastbond

- Strip Mine

- Flash

- Tempest Efreet

- Frantic Search

- Time Vault

- Goblin Recruiter

- Time Walk

- Gush

- Timetwister

- Hermit Druid

- Timmerian Fiends

- Immediate Action

- Tinker

- Imperial Seal

- Tolarian Academy

- Iterative Analysis

- Treasure Cruise

- Jeweled Bird

- Unexpected Potential

- Library of Alexandria

- Vampiric Tutor

- Mana Crypt

- Wheel of Fortune

- Mana Drain

- Windfall

- Mana Vault

- Worldknit

- Memory Jar

- Yawgmoth's Bargain

- Mental Misstep

- Yawgmoth's Will

- Mind Twist

6.7 Block Constructed Format Deck Construction

Block Constructed decks consist of cards taken from a restricted set of expansions.

7. Limited Tournament Rules

7.1 Deck Construction Restrictions

Limited decks must contain a minimum of forty cards. There is no maximum deck size.

Players are not restricted to four of any one card in Limited tournament play.

7.2 Card Use in Limited Tournaments

Cards must be received directly from tournament officials. This product must be new and previously unopened.

Pro Tour, Grand Prix, World Magic Cup, and World Championship events may have had boosters opened in order to stamp them. Each player (or team) must be given exactly the same quantity and type of product as all other players participating in the tournament. For example, if one player receives three Magic Origins boosters for a booster draft, all other players must also receive three Magic Origins boosters.

Only cards from the expansions of the boosters opened (and only cards opened or drafted in that player's pool) may be used in a player's deck. The following are exceptions to this rule:

- Players may add an unlimited number of cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest to their deck and sideboard. They may not add additional snow basic land cards (e.g. Snow-Covered Forest, etc) or Wastes basic land cards, even in formats in which they are legal.

- Non-basic lands from the Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash expansions are allowed when opened in Dragon's Maze boosters.

- Non-basic lands from the Khans of Tarkir expansion are allowed when opened in Fate Reforged boosters.

- Non-basic lands from the Zendikar Expeditions set are allowed when opened in Battle for Zendikar or Oath of the Gatewatch boosters.

- Prerelease tournaments may feature additional exceptions. These will be announced as part of the Prerelease information.

Players may ask a judge for permission to replace a card with another version of the same card.

Because it was designed specifically for multiplayer play, the use of Conspiracy boosters in sanctioned, competitive Limited-format tournaments (Sealed Deck and Booster Draft) is not permitted.

Six boosters per player are recommended for individual format Sealed Deck tournaments and 3 boosters per player for individual Booster or Team Rochester Draft tournaments. For the recommended product mix for the current block, refer to Appendix D.

If the Tournament Organizer allows players to provide their own product, that product must be pooled with the rest of the product for the tournament and randomly distributed.

If the Tournament Organizer is not providing extra land cards for use in a Limited tournament, he or she must announce this before tournament registration. Tournament Organizers may require players to return these land cards when they leave the tournament. Players may use their own basic lands during tournaments.

7.3 Sideboard Use

Any drafted or opened cards not used in a player's Limited deck function as his or her sideboard.

Before the beginning of the second or subsequent game in a match, players may change the composition of their decks by exchanging cards from their decks for cards in their sideboards. There are no restrictions on the number of cards a player may exchange this way as long as the main deck is legal afterwards. Cards do not need to be exchanged on a one-for-one basis.

Players participating in Limited tournaments that do not use decklists may freely change the composition of their decks between matches by exchanging cards from their deck for cards in their sideboard without being required to return their deck to its original composition before their next match. The Head Judge or Tournament Organizer must inform players if this option is not being used prior to the start of deckbuilding. This option is not available at Competitive or Professional Rules Enforcement Level tournaments.

7.4 Abnormal Product

Neither Wizards of the Coast nor the Tournament Organizer guarantee any specific distribution of card rarities or frequency in a particular booster pack or tournament pack. If a player receives an unconventional distribution of rarities or frequencies in a particular booster pack or tournament pack, he or she must call a judge. The final decision to replace or allow the atypical product is at the discretion of the Head Judge and the Tournament Organizer.

7.5 Sealed Deck Pool Registration

In Sealed Deck tournaments, the Head Judge may require players to perform a Sealed Deck pool registration procedure prior to deck construction:

- Each player is distributed the appropriate number of booster packs. The boosters should be marked in a way that distinguishes they came from the Tournament Organizer for that event.

- Players on one side of each table open their boosters (Player A). The player directly across (Player B) observes this. Both players will observe and verify the contents of those boosters. After this process, the opened cards are stacked face down in a single pile and placed near Player B.

- Player B will now open their boosters. Player A observes. Both players will observe and verify the contents. After this process, the opened cards are stacked face down in a single pile and placed near Player A.

- Player A then sorts and registers the contents of Player B's pool, and vice versa.

- After registration, each player returns the registered card pool to the player who originally opened the pool.

- Players build and record decks as normal.

7.6 Draft Pod Assembly

For Booster Draft and Team Rochester Draft tournaments, players assemble into random drafting circles (called pods) of roughly equal size at the direction of the Head Judge. Tournament officials then distribute identical sets of booster packs to each player.

Players within a pod may play only against other players within that pod. In Regular Rules Enforcement Level tournaments, the Tournament Organizer may elect to lift this restriction. This must be announced before the tournament starts.

Players may not communicate in any way with, or reveal hidden information to, other individuals during a draft, apart from tournament officials. This applies as soon as the draft pod pairings are posted and lasts until players hand in their decklists.

7.7 Booster Draft Procedures

All players must open and draft the same type of booster at the same time. Players open their first booster pack and count the cards face down, removing token cards, rules cards, and any other non-game cards. Players who receive an erroneous number of cards at any time must immediately notify a judge. After picking up the booster, players should remove and keep any non-foil Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest basic land cards and/or any other cards that are not legal to use in the draft. Foil basic land cards should be left in the booster and drafted with the other cards. Players choose one card from their current booster pack and then pass the remaining cards face down to the player on their left until all cards are drafted. Once a player has removed a card from the pack and put it on top of his or her single, front face-down drafted pile, it is considered selected and may not be returned to the pack.

Players may not reveal the front face of their card selections or the contents of their current packs to other participants in the draft and must make a reasonable effort to keep that information from the sight of other players. Players are not permitted to reveal hidden information of any kind to other participants in the draft regarding their own picks or what they want others to pick. (Exception: This does not apply to double-faced cards, both faces of which may be revealed at any time during a draft.) Players and teams may not look at their drafted cards between or during picks at Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Levels. At Regular Rules Enforcement Level, players are allowed to review their drafted cards between or during picks as long as they are holding no other cards at the same time. The Head Judge may choose to disallow this provided he or she announces it before the first draft. Between boosters there is a review period in which players may review their picks.

If the draft is not being timed, and two players do not wish to make a pick before the other player, the player closer to providing the other player with the pack picks first. If the players are equidistant, then the player in the lower seat number picks first.

After the first pack is drafted and the review period completed, players open the next pack and draft in the same fashion, except that the direction of drafting is reversed-it now proceeds to the right. This process is repeated, reversing the direction of drafting for each booster pack until all cards in all booster packs are drafted.

If a player is unable or unwilling to continue drafting, but wishes to remain in the tournament, he or she is suspended from drafting and must construct a deck from whatever cards he or she has drafted thus far. For the remainder of the current booster pack, a tournament official randomly makes picks instead of the suspended player.

8. Team Tournament Rules

8.1 Team Names

Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to disallow any team name it deems offensive and/or obscene. Tournament officials may disallow teams from registering team names that may be considered offensive and/or obscene.

8.2 Team Composition and Identification

A valid team consists of two or three members, as appropriate to the format. A team is identified by the individual DCI membership numbers of its respective members and all teams must provide the Tournament Organizer with the full information when registering for the tournament. Individuals may be members of more than one team, though not during the same tournament. If a player drops or is disqualified from the tournament, and the remainder of the team does not have sufficient members to continue, the entire team is dropped from the tournament.

Teams must designate player positions during tournament registration. For example, in a three-player team tournament, each team must designate who is player A, player B, and player C. Players retain these designations throughout the entire tournament.

When two teams are paired against each other during the course of a tournament, the team members designated as

player A play against each other, the team members designated as player B play against each other, and so on.

8.3 Team Communication Rules

Teammates may communicate with each other at any time, unless they leave the play area. If they leave the play area, they may not return until the end of the match.

8.4 Unified Deck Construction Rules

Team Constructed tournaments use Unified Deck Construction rules: With the exception of cards with the basic supertype or cards with text that specifies otherwise, no two decks on a team may contain the same card, based on its English card title. (For example, if one player is using Naturalize in a Team Constructed tournament, no other player on that team may use Naturalize in his or her deck.) No players may use cards that are banned in a particular format.

Unified Deck Construction rules are only applied when all members of a team have decks of the same format.

8.5 Team Rochester Draft Tournaments

Team Rochester Draft tournaments require teams of three players each. Two teams are seated at each table for the draft. Team members sit clockwise in A-B-C order around the table. (For example, in a three-person team tournament, players sit around the table clockwise in this order: 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C.) A team determined at random chooses either to pick first or to allow the other team to pick first. Player B of the team that picks first lays out the first pack.

The draft begins with the first player opening his or her first booster pack and laying out the entire contents of the pack face up on the table as directed by tournament officials, with the cards facing him or her. After reviewing the cards, drafting proceeds with each player selecting a single card in turn. Once a player has selected a card and placed it with his or her other drafted cards, he or she may not select a different card. If a player fails to select a card in the time given, a tournament official selects for that player the oldest card still remaining from the booster pack (the card on the table the longest).

The player drafting first from the cards presented on the table is called the active player. The first active player is the participant who opened the first booster of the draft, as designated by a tournament official. All players in each drafting pod serve as the active player once for each group of booster packs. The identity of the active player moves in a horseshoe pattern, clockwise for the first and third boosters and counter-clockwise for the second. The player who was last to open a booster pack from a group is the first to open the booster pack from the next group.

The draft order also begins moving in a horseshoe pattern, clockwise for the first and third boosters and counter-clockwise for the second, beginning with the active player, continuing around the table to the last player in the group to draft a card. The last player in the group selects two cards sequentially, and then drafting continues in reverse order, moving back to the player who began the drafting. If there are still cards remaining, the player who began the drafting selects two cards, and drafting continues again in the opposite direction.

Example: Team 1 and Team 2 are seated around a table. They are numbered 1A-1B-1C-2A-2B-2C in a clockwise order. Team 2 wins the coin toss, and the members of Team 2 choose to let Team 1 pick first. The active player for the first pack is Player 1B. The first booster pack for Player 1B is opened and placed face up in front of Player 1B. After the 20-second review period has expired, the draft order is as follows: Player 1B-card 1

Player 1A-card 6

Player 1C-card 11

Player 1C-card 2

Player 1A-card 7

Player 1B-card 12

Player 2A-card 3

Player 2C-card 8

Player 1B-card 13

Player 2B-card 4

Player 2B-card 9

Player 1C-card 14

Player 2C-card 5

Player 2A-card 10

Player 2A-card 15

During card selection, players must display the most recent card they drafted from the current pack. At all other times, players may leave one of their drafted cards face up on their draft pile, or may leave all cards face down.

Players may not review their draft picks while drafting proceeds or at any other time specifically indicated by tournament officials.

8.6 Team Sealed Deck Tournaments

All the rules for individual Limited tournaments (Section 7) apply to Team Sealed Deck tournaments except as follows.

Each team must receive the same product mix. For example, if one team receives twelve Magic Origins boosters, every team must receive twelve Magic Origins boosters.

Eight boosters per team are recommended for two-person team tournaments, and twelve boosters per team for three-person team tournaments. For the recommended product mix for the current block, refer to Appendix D.

All cards must be assigned to a player's deck or sideboard during deck construction and cannot be transferred to another player during that tournament. (Players do not share main deck or sideboard cards.) Players may exchange cards in their pool between rounds in Regular Rules Enforcement Level tournaments that do not use decklists, but only between matches.

9. Two-Headed Giant Tournament Rules

9.1 Match Structure

Two-Headed Giant matches consist of one game. All players from the two teams play in the same game.

Drawn games (games without a winner) do not count toward the one game. As long as match time allows, the match continues until a team has won a game.

9.2 Communication Rules

Teammates may communicate with each other at any time.

9.3 Play-Draw Rule

A team determined at random chooses either to play first or to play second. The choice must be made before either player on that team looks at his or her hand. If either player on that team looks at his or her hand before their choice is made, that team plays first. The team who plays first skips the draw step of their first turn.

9.4 Pregame Procedure

1. Players decide which teammate will be the primary player and which teammate will be the secondary player. Players should be seated with the primary player to the right of his or her teammate. Players can choose a different primary and secondary player before each match.

2. Players shuffle their decks.

3. Players present their decks to their opponents for additional shuffling.

4. Each player draws seven cards. Optionally, these cards may be dealt face down on the table.

5. Each player, in turn order, decides whether to mulligan. (Rules on Two-Headed Giant mulligans can be found in the Magic Comprehensive Rules, rule 103.4c) Once players have completed their mulligans, the game can begin.

9.5 Two-Headed Giant Constructed Rules

In addition to cards banned in particular formats, the following card is banned in ALL Two-Headed Giant Constructed tournaments (Vintage, Legacy, Modern, and Block Constructed):

- Erayo, Soratami Ascendant

Sideboards are not allowed in constructed Two-Headed Giant tournaments.

9.6 Two-Headed Giant Limited Rules

All the rules for Limited Tournaments (Section 7) apply, except as described below.

Eight boosters per team are recommended for Two-Headed Giant Sealed Deck tournaments and six boosters per team for Two-Headed Giant Booster Draft tournaments. For the recommended product mix for the current block, refer to Appendix D.

Cards not used in a team's starting decks are considered a shared sideboard by the two players that both players can access.

9.7 Two-Headed Giant Booster Draft Tournaments

Teams (not players) assemble into random drafting circles (called pods) of roughly equal size at the direction of the Head Judge. Teammates sit next to each other. Tournament officials then distribute identical booster packs to each team in the pod.

After opening and counting the cards in their first pack, the team chooses two cards from the booster pack then passes the remaining cards face down to the team on its left. Selected cards may be placed into one or two piles.

The cards chosen are not assigned to a particular player; they become part of a pool out of which both players will build their decks. The open packs are passed around the drafting pod-with each team taking two cards from each before passing-until all cards are drafted.

For the second pack, the direction of drafting is reversed as usual. Thus, the overall draft direction is leftright

leftrightleftright.

10. Sanctioning Rules

10.1 Participation Minimums

Participation minimums for a tournament to be sanctioned are as follows:

- For individual tournaments, a minimum of eight (8) players must participate.

- For team and Two-Headed Giant tournaments, a minimum of four (4) teams must participate.

If the participation minimum is not met, the tournament is no longer DCI-sanctioned and will not provide Planeswalker Points. If participation minimums are not met for any DCI-sanctioned tournament, the Tournament Organizer should report the tournament as Did Not Occur.

10.2 Number of Rounds

The minimum number of rounds required for a tournament to be sanctioned is as follows:

- For individual tournaments, a minimum of three (3) rounds

- For team and Two-Headed Giant tournaments, a minimum of two (2) rounds If the minimum number of rounds is not met, the tournament is no longer DCI-sanctioned and will not provide Planeswalker Points. If the minimum number of rounds is not met for any DCI-sanctioned tournament, the Tournament Organizer should report the tournament as Did Not Occur.

The number of rounds should be announced at or before the beginning of the first round; once announced, it cannot be changed. A variable number of rounds can be announced instead, with specific criteria for ending the tournament. For example, a tournament with 20 players can be announced as five rounds unless only one player has four match wins after four rounds.

The recommended number of rounds for Swiss tournaments can be found in Appendix E.

10.3 Invitation-Only Tournaments

Invitation-only tournaments have additional qualification criteria for player participation. The invitation list for Premier tournaments is defined in the Magic: The Gathering Premier Event Invitation Policy. Tournament Organizers may hold and sanction invitation-only non-Premier tournaments normally, as long as they offer a sufficient number of qualifying tournaments in advance to ensure that all players have a chance to qualify.

10.4 Pairing Algorithm

Unless otherwise announced, tournaments are assumed to follow the Swiss pairing algorithm. Some tournaments may proceed to single-elimination playoff rounds between the top 2, 4, or 8 (or other number) players after the Swiss rounds are over. The Swiss pairing algorithm is modified in Booster Draft tournaments as explained in section 7.6.

For constructed tournaments that have a single-elimination playoff (or sealed deck tournaments that do not use a booster draft for the playoff), the recommended pairing method is to pair the playoff players by the final Swiss standings.

For an 8-player playoff, the 1st place player plays the 8th place player, the 2nd place player plays the 7th place player, the 3rd place player plays the 6th place player, and the 4th place player plays the 5th place player. The winners of the 1st/8th place and 4th/5th place matches play each other in the next round of the playoff. The winners of the 2nd/7th place and 3rd/6th place matches play each other in the next round of the playoff. The remaining players play in the last round of the playoff.

For a 4-player playoff, the 1st place player plays the 4th place player, and the 2nd place player plays the 3rd place player. The remaining players play in the last round of the playoff.

For Limited tournaments that have a single-elimination booster draft playoffs, it is recommend that only an 8-player playoff is run using the following method described below.

Use a random method to seat players around the draft table and conduct the draft.

After the draft has concluded, the player in seat 1 plays the player in seat 5, the player in seat 2 plays the player in seat 6, the player in seat 3 plays the player in seat 7, and the player in seat 4 plays the player in seat 8. The winners of the seat 1/5 and the 3/7 matches play each other in the next round of the playoff. The winners of the seat 2/6 and the seat 4/8 matches play each other in the next round of the playoff. The remaining players play in the last round of the playoff.

For Premier Events, the playoff options above are required, not optional.

- Two-Headed Giant Draft-40 minutes for deck construction and registration The Head Judge of the tournament is the final authority on time limits for a tournament. However, any deviation from these recommendations must be announced prior to and during tournament registration.

Magic Premier Tournaments may have different time limits. These time limits can be found in the tournament or tournament series fact sheet.

Booster Draft Timing

Individual booster drafts have the following default time limits for each pick:

Cards remaining in pack

Time allotted

15 cards

40 seconds

14 cards

40 seconds

13 cards

35 seconds

12 cards

30 seconds

11 cards

25 seconds

10 cards

25 seconds

9 cards

20 seconds

8 cards

20 seconds

7 cards

15 seconds

6 cards

10 seconds

5 cards

10 seconds

4 cards

5 seconds

3 cards

5 seconds

2 cards

5 seconds

1 card

N/A

Two-Headed Giant Draft Timing

Two-Headed Giant booster drafts have the following default time limits for each pick: Cards remaining in pack

15-Card Booster

14-Card Booster

Time allotted

15

14

50 seconds

13

12

45 seconds

11

10

40 seconds

9

8

30 seconds

7

6

20 seconds

5

4

10 seconds

3

-

5 seconds

1

2

N/A

Appendix D-Recommended Booster Mix for Limited Tournaments Note: The following booster mixes are required for Premier Play tournaments.

For the Shadows over Innistrad block, the recommended booster mix for Limited tournaments is (effective July 22, 2016 through September 29, 2016):

Appendix E-Recommended Number of Rounds in Swiss Tournaments The following number of Swiss rounds is required for Premier tournaments (such as Grand Prix Trials, Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifiers, Regional Pro Tour Qualifiers, Regional Last Chance Qualifiers, World Magic Cup Qualifiers, and World Magic Cup Qualifier Last Chance Qualifiers). It may be used at the Tournament Organizer's discretion for non-Premier tournaments.

Players (Teams)

Swiss Rounds

Playoff

3 Single-Elimination

8

None (Run Single Elimination)

Rounds (No Swiss)

4 (if Limited Format)

Top 8 (If Limited Format)

9-16

5 (if Constructed Format)

Top 4 (If Constructed Format)

17-32

5

Top 8

33-64

6

Top 8

65-128

7

Top 8

129-226

8

Top 8

227-409

9

Top 8

410+

10

Top 8

All trademarks are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. 2016 Wizards.